The Anti-Love at First Sight Expat Relocation Guide: Phase 1: Research

By Sharon Hiebing

If you are thinking about moving to another country, or you are in the process of doing so right now, then you need to read this book first.

Written by an American Expat, Sharon Hiebing, who put everything she owned in three suitcases and moved to Belize, the “The Anti-Love at First Sight Expat Relocation Guide” covers all of the steps you need to go through to not only find your country of choice, but to make sure you will be happy once you get there.

You see, too many people choose their new country for all the wrong reasons. In many cases, they make the decision without understanding any of the steps they should have taken to make sure they don’t make a horrible mistake! Sharon advises you to choose a country based on facts, not infatuation!

Sharon, founder of Wealth Ships’ Expat Relocation Consulting Service, believes that every Expat goes through three distinct phases when moving to a new country:
-Phase 1 - Research
-Phase 2 - Preparation
-Phase 3 - Assimilation

This book covers Phase 1. In it, you will:
• Find out if your reasons for moving are compelling enough to get you through the arduous process
• Learn what research resources are at your disposal
• Develop what Sharon calls your “Non-Negotiable Criteria”
• Address important due-diligence considerations you may otherwise overlook
• Discover what to do, and more importantly, what not to do, when you make your first visit to the country you’re considering
• Learn important tips for dealing with your children, family, and friends during this highly stressful phase

All of these steps are necessary to make sure that nothing gets overlooked. By the time you arrive in your new country, you should be well prepared for what awaits you.

BONUS: Sharon has prepared handy worksheets that you can print out and use during your research process.

This book will help you “Relocate Without Rose-Colored Glasses” and avoid the pitfalls many Expats before you have encountered.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sharon Hiebing
• Release date: Jun 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458102829

Sharon Hiebing

At the age of 46, Sharon packed up everything she owned and moved from California to Belize. This American Expat is passionate about helping others who may want to do the same thing, so she founded her Wealth Ships' Expat Relocation Consulting Service company to do just that. On her blog, she chronicles her journey so others can learn from her experiences. Travel along as she takes people through why she did it, how she did it, and how you can too. You can also join her Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/wealthships if you'd like to follow her daily activities in a new country.

Book preview

The Anti-Love at First Sight Expat Relocation Guide – Phase 1: Research

by Sharon Hiebing

Copyright 2011 by Sharon Hiebing.

All Rights Reserved.

Smashwords Edition

This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Forward

Introduction

Section1: Your WHY

Chapter 1: Why Do You Want to Move to a New Country?

Chapter 2: Finding Your WHY

Section 2: The First Phase – Research

Chapter 1 – Research Resources

Chapter 2 – Non-Negotiable Criteria

Non-Negotiable Criteria Worksheet

Chapter 3 – Other Considerations

Chapter 4 – Making a Visit

Chapter 5 – Family Matters

In Closing

About the Author

So, you wanna move to a new country, do you?  You’re not alone – millions of people do it every year.  And in 2010, I was one of them, moving from the United States of America to a small third world country named Belize.

Unfortunately, the method many people use for choosing a country is usually the worst one possible:  It was love at first sight!

Hence, the name of this e-book, The Anti-Love at First Sight Expat Relocation Guide. 

Maybe you vacationed somewhere once.  Maybe you saw a country on an episode of HGTV. Or perhaps a travel brochure.  Whatever the case may be, deciding to move to a new country on a whim is fine as long as you meet one of these three criteria:

1.   You are unencumbered and do not have a business to sell, home to sell, or family to take with you.

2.   You have plenty of resources (i.e. money) so that if you arrive in the new country and decide you hate it, you can easily afford to pick up and move again.

3.   You are in a position to afford

Reviews for The Anti-Love at First Sight Expat Relocation Guide

[Hermes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Practical and realistic - asks many questions of reader. All sensible. However, she missed several (to me anyway) important points to consider... 'race', parents and sex/dating. Specifically, are you comfortable around persons of ethnicity X (I prefer Asians even though I am not); kids and spouse aren't the only family - would your aged parents move with you?; does the local diet of popular foods suit you; and do you intend to look for a local sexual partner/partners - i.e. do the locals turn you on aesthetically and emotionally? Why did she miss these? Maybe it is because I am a well-travelled semi-retired conservative man and my needs are different than this woman's? I agree with her, be brutally honest with yourself. My priorities are price, food, weather, infrastructure, language, safety, women (in this order). I have two deal-breakers: Monthly budget of under $1000 USD and I must be able to find easily and cheaply prepared foods and groceries that fit my restricted diet. This means for me India, Turkey and Malaysia are suitable but *not* Mongolia, Philippines and Kenya. But I have lived multiple years in several Asian countries already. My priorities have changed as indeed the world has from the 1990s. Keep in mind too the differences between doing a real expat move and just being a 'snowbird' (only 5-6 months away from Canada, a sojourner only) which is my lifestyle.

I do the kind of research and preparation she recommends and the only difference I would suggest is do a brief tourist visit of at least a month, followed by a exploratory trip of at least three months to multiple destinations renting by the week or month within the country, followed by a test year in one apartment/house.

BTW, it appears that unless Hiebing is Practical and realistic - asks many questions of reader. All sensible. However, she missed several (to me anyway) important points to consider... 'race', parents and sex/dating. Specifically, are you comfortable around the general mentality and behaviour of persons of ethnicity X (I prefer Asians even though I am not); kids and spouse aren't the only family - would your aged parents move with you?; does the local diet of popular foods suit you; and do you intend to look for a local sexual partner/partners - i.e. do the locals turn you on aesthetically and emotionally? Why did she miss these? Maybe it is because I am a well-travelled semi-retired conservative man and my needs are different than this woman's? I agree with her, be brutally honest with yourself. My priorities are price, food, weather, infrastructure, language, safety, value of medical care, women (in this order). [I have two deal-breakers: Monthly budget of under $1000 USD and I must be able to find easily and cheaply prepared foods and groceries that fit my restricted diet. This means for me India, Turkey and Malaysia are suitable but *not* Mongolia, Philippines and Kenya. But I have lived multiple years in several Asian countries already. My priorities have changed as indeed the world has from the 1990s. Keep in mind too the differences between doing a real expat move and just being a 'snowbird' (only 5-6 months away from Canada, a sojourner only) which is my lifestyle.


I do the kind of research and preparation she recommends and the only difference I would suggest is do a brief tourist visit of at least a month, followed by a exploratory trip of at least three months to multiple destinations renting by the week or month within the country, followed by a test year in one apartment/house.


BTW, it appears that unless Hiebing is operating only on Facebook her expat relocation service is out of business.